Systems and methods herein generally relate to vehicle parking payment systems, and more particularly, systems and methods that integrate fixed cameras and smart phone apps to automatically identify a vehicle parked in a parking space, and to automatically identify the end of a timed parking session based on video monitoring.
Pay-by-phone parking is a technology that has advanced in recent years and is getting popular very quickly. Pay-by-phone parking allows any user (sometimes referred to herein as a driver or parker) parking their vehicle in a fare required space, the option to divert the expense to a credit card via the use of a mobile phone, mobile application or computer. Pay-by-phone parking has advantages over conventional pay systems that involve inserting change, notes or dollar bills into a parking meter, and payment for parking is made much easier for the parkers and for parking fee collection entities. Cities and municipals are adopting pay-by-phone at an increasing rate.
Pay-by-phone parking technology can be used in multiple ways including “start-stop” and “start-duration.” With “start-stop” pay-by-phone parking, the driver contacts the pay-by-phone provider first when the driver initiates the parking session and then again when the driver wishes to terminate the session. Alternatively, with “start-duration” pay-by-phone parking, the driver contacts the pay-by-phone provider when the parking session is to be initiated, and the driver dictates the amount of time the session will last. There are inconveniences for the parker, and compliance issues for the service provider in both methods. In “start-stop” pay-by-phone parking, a parker may forget to “stop” after ending of the parking session resulting in the parker being charged for time they did not use the parking space. In “start-duration” pay-by-phone parking, the parker has to estimate the parking duration, which may result in the parker being charged for time they did not use the parking space, or for the parker not setting a long enough duration and potentially being fined.